Women's Artists Cooperative

The first official meeting of our Mayan women's arts collective- part of the larger cultural preservation/ tourism project called Runawal Tinamit, Aldea El Pajuil, Chicaman, El Quiche. El Pajuil, where my primary project was based, is a small Poqomchi Mayan village about a 3 hour walk from my site in Chicaman, El Quiche. Runawal Tinamit in Poqomchi means "Spirit of the People". Our tourism project eventually became an official NGO which now manages a women's artisan cooperative, a children's traditional dance and music program, a community center, and more development projects. Here the women are enjoying the first full day of weaving and crochet on the steps of the village center.